Leafs Defense Size vs. Skill

Leafs Defense Struggle in Winnipeg
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

  The Toronto Maple Leafs are have lost three games in a row, for the first time this season. Overall, that's a good sign, but over the last few weeks, including the games they have won, Toronto's defense has not been up to par.

  The Leafs are 3-3-1 in their last seven games, but in those seven games have allowed 28 goals against. That's an average of four goals against per game. In fact, in that time span, the only game where the Leafs didn't allow four goals against was March 4th against the New Jersey Devils.

  Despite the fact that they were able to win some games in the last few weeks, the team has looked out-of-sorts defensively. In the past you could easily shift the blame to sub-par goaltending, but this time it's not the case. Although their numbers don't look good at all, Toronto's goalies have been playing rather well as of late. The blame must be put on the players. At what point are the players going to be held accountable for their inability to keep the puck out of their own net? Many think that Thursday nights match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins will showcase a different Leafs line-up, but many also think it should have happened weeks ago.